Taiwan, Japan to hold talks

Staff writer, with CNA

Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - Page 3

Taiwan and Japan are expected to hold the second meeting of a bilateral fishing commission next month to continue negotiating on issues related to fishing in disputed waters in the East China Sea, a diplomatic source said.

The establishment of the commission was part of a historic agreement signed on April 10 by Taiwan and Japan over fishing rights in waters in the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.

The first meeting of the commission took place on May 7 in Taipei. The second is expected to take place next month to negotiate issues such as fishing regulations that will apply to the area covered by the pact on fishing rights in the two sides’ overlapping waters, the source said.

Asked about the issue at a regular news briefing yesterday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Anna Kao (高安) did not give a definite answer, saying only that details of the meeting will be finalized after the two sides reach a consensus.

Kao said the fishing pact ensures the rights of fishermen from Taiwan and Japan to operate freely in the area, and that the commission would continue to address follow-up issues.

At the May 7 meeting, it was confirmed that the Taiwanese members of the commission are Chang Jen-joe (張仁久), a counselor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Fisheries Agency Director-General James Sha (沙志一).